Climate Change and Wildlife Science Fellow
Location: Washington, D.C.
Supervisor: Vice President, Climate Change and Natural Resources Adaptation
Position Description
Defenders of Wildlife is committed to understanding how climate change
threatens native species and their habitats, then acting to reduce
these vulnerabilities through adaptive, practical responses. The
Climate Change and Wildlife Science Fellowship offers a post-doctoral
opportunity for professional development and publication opportunities
in the emerging field of climate change adaptation policy and natural
resources management.
The Climate Change and Wildlife Science Fellow will assist the
organization in understanding the impacts of climate change on
wildlife and its habitat, developing adaptation strategies, guidance
or tools to mitigate the impacts over the next century, and
communicating these impacts and strategies to policymakers, media,
government agencies and the public. The Fellow is encouraged to
engage in entrepreneurial synthetic research and creative outreach in
support of adaptive policy and management solutions to climate change.
The Fellow will shape an innovative vision for addressing climate
change impacts and responses in the context of other major threats to
biodiversity (e.g., habitat destruction, invasive species, and human
development patterns). He/she will link technical scientific findings
to conservation action and will offer technical assistance and play a
leading role in "mainstreaming" climate adaptation into Defenders’
conservation programs and into government agency programs.
Located in Washington, D.C., the Climate Change and Wildlife Science
Fellow will have the opportunity to learn the intricacies of federal
policymaking and interact with decision makers in Congress, federal
and state agencies, and non-governmental organizations. The two-year
fellowship provides an annual stipend of $50,000, competitive
benefits, and a travel and operational budget.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Conduct and/or apply synthetic research that is relevant to adaptation
of natural systems to climate change.
Conduct and/or apply research into sociological and institutional
barriers to adopting adaptation approaches for biodiversity
conservation.
Assist in the development of legislative and administrative policy.
Communicate awareness of climate change impacts and adaptation, and
disseminate new, emerging findings to Defenders’ staff as well as to
key decision makers, the media, Defenders’ membership, and the general
public
Represent Defenders in public meetings, hearings, press events,
conferences, and elsewhere
Perform all other related duties as assigned.
Qualifications
Education: Ph.D. in conservation biology, ecology, climate change,
conservation planning, social ecology, or a related discipline in the
natural resources disciplines.
Experience: Diverse experience with climate change science, preferably
involving connections to important themes in climate change,
conservation biology and conservation policy.
An equivalent combination of education and experience may be accepted
as a satisfactory substitute for the specific education and experience
listed above.
Other:
Demonstrated ability to work independently to initiate, implement,
apply, and/or publish scientific research and to communicate such
research to both professional and lay audiences.
Familiarity with some of the major climate research organizations,
such as the U.S. Global Change Research Program and/or the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Demonstrated ability to develop and maintain scientifically productive
interdisciplinary collaborations.
Strong research, writing, organizational, and verbal communications skills.
Strong desire to publish policy-relevant reports and peer-reviewed
papers and able to balance writing workload with other coalition,
collaboration and communication work described herein.
Comments: This position requires occasional domestic travel.
How To Apply
Interested applicants please reference Climate Change and Wildlife
Science Fellow in your subject line and submit a letter of interest,
along with your resume and salary history (must be included to be
considered) to us via e-mail at: h...@defenders.org
It is the policy of Defenders of Wildlife to provide equal employment
opportunity to all qualified individuals without regard to their race,
color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, or any other
characteristic protected by law, in all personnel actions.
Link to this announcement:
http://www.defenders.org/about_us/jobs/climate_change_and_wildlife_science_fellow.php
